1956 Ford Thunderbird

James Kahrs, 25; Athens, Georgia

Feature Article from Hemmings Classic Car

A 1956 Thunderbird seems a pretty posh bit of business for someone under the age of 25 to be driving ... but to hear James Kahrs tell it, it almost seemed inevitable: Thunderbirds are in his blood. From the late 1960s until 1976, his father owned a succession of 1955 T-Birds, and after a two-decade hiatus, in 1997 he bought one of the first dozen '57 Thunderbirds built, which was in need of a complete restoration.

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So when it came time for James to look for a car to restore for himself, it seemed inevitable that a two-seat Thunderbird would be in the picture. Early on, he learned the value of patience. "We started looking for the right car for me to restore four years before we found it. I remember many weekends where we would drive to other states to look at cars that we knew we probably wouldn't be taking home with us. I was mostly interested in a Model A Ford roadster pickup, but in the summer of 2001, while on vacation in New Hampshire, my father and I looked at a gray 1956 Thunderbird for sale."
The owner had inherited it from his mother-in-law; she had been planning on selling it to a Thunderbird parts-supply house, which, in turn, planned on stripping and parting out the little gray 'Bird.
Others, on seeing it, might have thought the same thing--but not James. "We knew there was a little rust, but it was hard to tell because the paint covered most of it. It had sat in the previous owner's basement for the last six years, so we knew we had some work cut out for us. The paint was poor, as was the bodywork that was done a dozen years earlier. Instead of mending the frame, the shop wedged a 2x4 between the frame and body. The floor pans were in good shape as was the frame and body; it was in serious need of a restoration though."
The innate desire many of us have, to buy a running car, was suppressed in James. "There was no way we were even going to try to crank the T-Bird. We already knew it was going to get restored, so there was no reason to break anything that's not broken."
Once it was trailered home to Georgia, work commenced immediately, with help from dad and from Atlanta-area T-Bird specialist Wayne Stratton.
The learning curve remained steep for young James. "Taking apart a car that was driven in the northern half of the country is not always an easy task. Getting bolts off that are practically welded to the nut is very difficult. The worst is when you break all the bolts free except for that one that turns into a three-hour fight.
"We removed the engine and transmission, discarded unusable parts, and sent others to be restored. The engine and transmission went to Georgia Classic Ford in Woodstock; the frame was powdercoated and returned to Wayne for assembly. The body was sent to Doug Legg in Commerce for bodywork and paint."
Now, here, the readership will be split. Some may roll their eyes in derision at sending out parts to be rebuilt by professionals, arguing that entire chunks of old-car building are completely sidestepped by calling in the pros. Others, however, may have a slightly more practical view.
"If you want to have a good-looking car, one that you've invested a lot of time and money in, you don't want to screw the entire project up because you think you can paint a car but you really can't. Certain things you need to leave to a professional, but you have to research and find the right person to do the work," James opines. "The carburetor, for example, should be sent out to a company that specializes in rebuilding old carbs; your local mechanic would likely advise you to get a new aftermarket carb for the cost of rebuilding the stock one.
"If I had tried to do everything on my car myself, I would have a spray-painted frame; rusted, chromeless bumpers; a horrible paint finish, and an engine that doesn't run," James says. It's a wise man who understands his limits.
A spot of research helped determine some of the T-Bird's history. "It had a 312-cu.in. engine, three-speed overdrive transmission, engine dress-up kit, safety package, windshield washer, town and country radio and whitewall tires. The car was Fiesta Red, with a red and white interior, and a white soft top." Today, it's much the same, with all of the factory options intact, and only a couple of changes.
"It's red with a buckskin interior, buckskin soft top and white porthole hardtop. I didn't care for the original Fiesta Red color, so I chose a Lexus red called Absolutely Red, which is very close to the 1957 Thunderbird Red. I added power brakes and front disc brakes for safety, a tonneau cover, an AM/FM radio and CD player (hidden in the trunk), and driving lamps that replaced the front bumper tips--a very rare option from the factory."
James graduated from college in 2005 with a degree in archaeology (appropriate, then, that he'd want a car twice as old as he is) but is in Hangzhou, China as you read this, teaching English. The T-Bird still gets to spread its wings every now and again, though, as James's parents are more than happy to give it some exercise.
And James's advice for anyone thinking about buying and running an old car of any sort? Just do it: "If you are looking to get into collector cars, or classic car restoration, get involved with your local car club. Club members are always willing to help answer questions and point you in the right direction. Any old car owner is willing to help someone who knows little about cars and wants to get involved, because anyone who owns a classic car was in the same boat at one time."

This article originally appeared in the December, 2007 issue of Hemmings Classic Car.